AN ANTIQUE DATED SAWFISH ROSTRUM (PRISTIS PRISTIS)

Australia, 9 April 1922

The tooth with a nice dark brown patina, dated in ink Swordfish forblade [.....] Australia, 9-4-'22.

H. approx. 100 cm

Note:
Sawfish and shark, often depicted in Tribal Art from Oceania, are highly endangered for their noses were highly prized wunderkammer objects. In the 20th century, the noses became sought after objects in interiors of the middle class. Legislation around the possession of these objects is harsh, although for the better. As one can not tell only by the rostrum alone it is pre-1947 and thus legal to own, the fact that the presented rostrum is dated makes it highly interesting.